Possiblv wc shoultl also regard *j 

 r ,l,vi!)incv OH toys, the wide range 

 Sf Objects with which the various 

 k , m l, oi bowerhirds festoon their 

 ;llhulirN . Iliesc differ considerably 

 jtffo different genera. Incidentally. 

 ^,5 ,cpo.( has il that the Spotted 

 Bowel bird sometimes engages in "the 

 slick giime"'— with bones or shells. 



Also in affinity, pcrh;ips. is the 

 priwtic* of curtain male birds, in this 

 ,,,„,„,. chiefly fairy Wrens (A/u/ 

 ot carrying about bnghl- 

 colourcd flowers, usually red 01 ycl 

 low. during courtship. As with the 

 Satin Howerhird. which has a strong 

 ,.„icv lor blue objects, these Nowei- 

 L ..,rr\iii2 buds appear |o be able to 

 appreciate particular colours. 



Driuin of lool-usinu 



When rellcciing on Ihc degree of 

 . Hieence" possibly associated with 

 hnds" use of objects as various Kinds 

 ot aids | mainly in relation to food). 

 Ihcre is a temptation to consider cer- 

 tain aspects of loodsteahng. Fngate- 

 biids, foi example, consislenily 

 attack oiher seabirds in mid air in 

 order lo roh them of food, and Silver 

 Gulls in Australia have been known 

 10 ride on the backs of Pelicans and 

 eial> captured fish belure the la eei 

 birds can swallow them. IVihaps 

 suth lubbers are, m a sense, using 

 Ihc vieumised birds as loots! 



Further, to the question of intel- 

 ligence, an unconfirmed report Irom 

 ihe Australian suh-inierior credits the 

 Rainbow Bee-cater (\f,'rop\ orii(Uin\ 

 wnh the occasional use ot a sharp 

 Mick as an aid to tunnel-digging, and 

 Mill, as well, the frequent equipping 

 nf ns burrow with ' natural lamps" 



-white bones ,,nd musscl-sricM*. also 

 in one instance a pearl hutton. 



Oth.r remarkable reports, put for- 

 ward independently in both Europe 

 and Australia claim thai ««ain 



JOy. 1971 



birds— a Snipe in Em ope and a Snipe 

 and a M.tgpiclark (Peewce) m Aus 

 traliti— have heen known to bind ,u 

 injured leg with a splint made of 

 leathers and mud. Statements regard- 

 ing each of these reports have been 

 published. 



Without seeking furlher material 

 hearing on the menial activity of 

 certain birds, if seems desirable now 

 to consider the qucsiiou of how tool 

 using originated. There need be little 

 doubt, I think, that Australia's Buz- 

 zards anil Bowerbirds were using 

 tools even before our Abongines 

 itneuted the boomerang; and doubt- 

 less the practice by other birds is 

 also deep-seated But how the ability 

 developed, in each instance, is more 

 conjectural. 



John Alcock. of the Department 

 of Psychology in the University of 

 Washington, has recently (l l >70t 

 pn.senied suggestions on the suMcci 

 in the Ibis- — thus giving England an 

 American opinion on the heh.ivmiit 

 of birds in Africa' The Egyptian 

 Vultures' enterprise, it is suggested. 

 ma\ initially havu been nothing 

 more than re-directed egg-throwing" 

 l hai is to say. birds thwarted in their 

 a I tempts to pick up aud throw 

 OsLrieh eggs, which are too large, 

 would Hun their attention to » smaller 

 object if one were available: and a 

 hird going lhroiigh Ihe egg-throwin$ 

 movement with a stone lying nearby 

 might accidentally hit and break, the 

 egg, after which the Vulture "might 

 come to associate stone-throwing with 

 too.l and actively seek out stones on 

 encountering an Ostrich egg" And. 



,i corollary, observation of the 

 stone-throwing may have led tu (he 

 transmission ol the activity from one 

 bird to .moihcr. 



•Thus" . Alcock concludes, "the 

 and spread of tool-using by 

 Egyptian Vultures need not involve 

 spcc.al ms.itlit or a high level of 



187 



